9-(trans-2',trans-3'-Dihydroxycyclopent-4'-enyl)-adenine and -3-deazaadenine: analogs of neplanocin A which retain potent antiviral activity but exhibit reduced cytotoxicity.

Two synthetic analogs of neplanocin A, which were shown in a separate study to be inhibitors of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase and devoid of substrate activity with adenosine kinase, were found in this study to inhibit vaccinia virus replication in murine L929 cells but to have reduced cytotoxicity compared with that of the parent compound. These results confirm that S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase is the molecular target which mediates the antiviral effects of neplanocin A and that transformation by cellular adenosine kinase mediates its cytotoxic properties.